In a major development in the Hathras case, a court in Uttar Pradesh has sentenced the sole convict, Sandeep, to life imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on Sandeep. Earlier today, the Court acquitted/released three other accused in the case, Ramu, Lavkush, and Ravi.
Sandeep was convicted for the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and for offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
In its chargesheet, the CBI had accused them of committing offences under IPC sections 376 (rape), 376 (D) (gangrape), 302 (murder) and other offences of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
However, none of the four accused has been found guilty of offence of Gangrape, or Murder by the Special Court.
The incident had taken place in September 2020 and had led to widespread outrage across the country.
The court handed down the verdict on Thursday, March 2nd, after finding Sandeep guilty of rape and murder charges. The other three accused in the case were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The Hathras case had caused a massive public uproar, with protests being held across the country demanding justice for the victim. The incident had also put the spotlight on the issue of caste-based violence against Dalits in India.
The victim, who hailed from a village in Hathras district, was allegedly raped by Sandeep and three other men when she was working in a field with her mother. She had suffered severe injuries and was later taken to a hospital in New Delhi, where she passed away.
The case had initially been handled by the Uttar Pradesh Police, who were criticized for their handling of the case and for their treatment of the victim’s family. The victim’s family alleged that they were threatened and harassed by the police and that they were not allowed to participate in the last rites of their daughter.
The case was later taken up by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who filed charges against the four accused in the case. The court, after considering all the evidence, found Sandeep guilty of the charges and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
